


Devil's Backbone

by Clints13Arrow



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Cannibalism, Canon Related, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Will Graham, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Song Lyrics, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 01:18:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4768157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clints13Arrow/pseuds/Clints13Arrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All his choices, even the ones he didn't make consciously led him to one particular place. This particular place led him to the arms of the devil himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Devil's Backbone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whatacunningboy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatacunningboy/gifts).



> I wrote this, my computer crashed and I didnt save it so I had to rewrite it from memory, ahhhhhh!!!  
> Happy Birthday Charlie! You are the best friend I could ever have. I love you!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr~!  
> [Shellpsicle](http://shellpsicle.tumblr.com/)

_Oh Lord, Oh Lord, What have I done?  
I've fallen in love with a man on the run_

 

Will gasped out, the air from his lungs escaping him more than anything else. The warm liquid quickly chilled over his skin. He felt the crimson liquid stick to his clothes and hair. A breath escaped, visible in the cold air. The body between them no longer breathing. The body lay motionless, its glazed eyes staring at the full moon of the night. His hands curled away from his body, his throat ripped open, and his muscles visible. A gasp visible on his dead lips, the last breath he took as they tore him apart. The dragon lay slay.

 

Will curled in on himself, the pain obvious now that the raw energy and adrenaline escaped his pores. He looked towards the man that stood hunched a couple of feet away. His own demeanor covered in blood. He stood, though Will could see the bullet wound the dragon had caused.

 

"It does look black in the moonlight," Will broke the long silence that rippled through them.

Their heavy breathing obvious, the crash of the waves by the cliff where muted compared to what held their attention. Will stepped over. HIs face hurt, his body ached, but it wasn’t over.

 

_Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I'm begging you please  
Don't take that sinner from me_

 

They both stood in front of the other. Predator and prey, no, no longer prey. Will was no longer prey. They both stood on the same stepping stone. They had killed each other, torn each other apart, and now they were in front of another. Sharing a kill, sharing something so primal. Will could feel the vibration of the past movement still on the tips of his fingers and toes. He felt the warmth of the older man radiating through the cold night air.

 

"This is all I ever wanted for you," Hannibal confessed inhaling a deep breath.

 

Will looked down at the fallen body. He looked at the dragon, no not a dragon. He wasn’t a dragon even if he saw himself as one. He was nothing compared to them. Together... together they were stronger.

 

_Oh, don't take that sinner from me_

 

Will looked at Hannibal. He saw him, saw through him. He gazed at the killer before him and couldn’t help the smile splitting his mouth more. He huffed out as his mind whirled. He realized how serene and peaceful the moment was as they caught their breaths. He saw Hannibal, he understood him then and there. He understood everything.

 

"It's beautiful."

 

Will didn’t doubt in his mind. Not like so many times before. There was no second guessing. The body before him, warm and inviting. Someone who understood him, who made him realize his full potential. Someone who sacrificed himself, just for Will. He did everything for Will. Everything was for him. 

 

Will inched closer. His arms finding their way, and wrapping around the older man. The warmth moved through his chest, no longer adrenaline but something more. Their lips lingered closer than ever before. He felt their chests bump against the other as they still tried to calm down. Hannibal stared at him, his face open, his emotions bare for Will to see and assess.

 

_Oh Lord, Oh Lord, what do I do?  
I've fallen for someone who's nothing like you_

 

That would wait. Will moved his head down. He needed to make sure that everything was real, that this moment was not something he thought of. His head rest on top of Hannibal's chest. His ear assaulted by the heavy breathing of his heart. His arms more secured around his neck. He felt Hannibal return the embrace Will started. He felt him grab his side. Will stared out at the corpse, and closed his eyes. Their weight shifted...

 

_He's raised on the devil's backbone  
Oh I just wanna take him home_

 

The fall lasted longer than seconds. Will felt his body, weightless but the body he held on to anchored him. He felt his breathing by his throat, he felt his heart beat, and he felt the solid body holding him. For just that moment, nothing existed. Nothing but Hannibal and himself. Will hated that the fall ended. He felt the water crash their bodies. He felt the cold waves splash over them until they were both under.

 

_Oh I just wanna take him home_

 

They clung to the other as they swam to the shore. Their bodies ached but they were at peace when their bodies found land. Will rested himself on the share, a moment to breathe a moment to think. His gaze flickered back to the full moon. The same moon the lifeless corpse of Francis Dolarhyde stared at from the top of the cliff. The same moon that he stared at himself. Yet it was different. It looked different. The world had changed, yet stayed the same. The warmth, not too far yet not too close, held him on to the Earth.

 

_Ooooooo  
Ooooooo_

 

Will's mind blurred. One second he lay on the shore and the next he and Hannibal helped each other to a car then to a cabin. Will didn’t know where they were, he didn’t know and at the moment he didn’t care. Will was set down softly onto a chair. He looked at the first aid kit set on a table. A C on a paper and nothing else. Will looked far away as Hannibal stitched his face. For once he didn’t worry about what he had done. He was only embracing what had been done, how there was turning back. And for once, Will was glad that there was no turning back.

 

He looked at Hannibal, the man finished up stitching Will and turned to stitch the wound on his side. The bleeding had slowed, but the hole was apparent. Without much of a voice, Will reached over and grabbed the needle from the doctor's dexterous fingers. Hannibal let the needle be taken from him and relaxed himself in his seat, allowing the man to take care of him.

 

_Oh Lord, Oh Lord, he's somewhere between  
A hangman's knot, and three mouths to feed_

 

The silence was not unwelcome. Hannibal was there, with his boy, his wonderful and amazing boy. The mongoose he wanted under his home was no longer hiding from him. He was standing beside him, hunting and living beside him. Hannibal loved Will, he did. He never thought an emotion would be possible for himself. He had felt annoyance, hurt, rage, and envy. But love, he thought that part of him had frozen over after he lost his precious Mischa. He swore nothing would make him feel the same, but Will. Will was different, he was everything Hannibal wanted, and yet, Will continued to surprise him in the best possible ways.

 

Will finished the stitches, the stitching neat from all the times he made fishing lures. He applied antiseptic on the wound and applied a bandage. Hannibal did not flinch at all, his gaze just remained focused. Will looked up at Hannibal. Hannibal had minimal wounds on his face, just small scratches, unlike Will's own face. Their scars different yet similar. For scars showed about ones survival.

 

_There wasn't a wrong or a right he could choose  
He did what he had to do_

 

Will placed the needles and gauze bag in the kit, his gaze faltering, yet he returned the gaze, no longer did he look away or stare somewhere far. No, he made eye contact with the man that changed him, changed his life. They were close again, they hardly separated since Will accepted this was his life now. This was where he belonged. Will's mind silent for once. As their faces hovered closer, just like the cliff, but this time, this time Will didn’t care about diving in. He could care less about everything he tried so hard from fighting. He had been fighting for so long, it was nice to just do what he felt was right.

 

Their lips inches. Their first kiss was nothing special, a kiss. A small kiss that was broken after a short while. Will had never kissed a man before, he never felt these emotions before. What he thought he had with Molly was nothing compared to what he felt for Hannibal. He wanted to hold him closer and kiss him, yet at the same time he would like nothing more than end him. Will shuddered at those emotions still deep inside him.

 

Whatever it was they had, was not normal, nor average. Will could care less. He chuckled and winced. Hannibal stared at Will and wondered what caused the bout of laughter escaping his lips.

 

_Oh he did what he had to do_

 

"What is it?"

 

Will sighed and grabbed his face, forgetting the wound. He looked back at Hannibal as they sat apart, "I was just thinking, nothing is never going to be the same. But, I don’t mind. I don’t mind that my choices led me here."

 

_Ooooooooo  
Ooooooooo_

 

Hannibal thought about what Will said. He stared at him, they stared at the other, and nothing else was said. Will changed his clothing after a shower, he sat on the bed as Hannibal took a shower. He lay on his side, and he just stared out into the darkness. He stared, but he didn’t think. Nothing haunted him. He thought if he turned his gaze he would see the corpse of Dolarhyde haunting him. The cabin was empty, the sound of the shower turning off the only noise. Will held on to the comforter and rested his eyes. His muscles ached. He felt the bed dip. The man lay beside him, but they remained inches apart. Will fell asleep. His body lighter.

 

_Give me the burden, give me the blame  
I'll shoulder the load, and I'll swallow the shame_

 

When Will woke up the next morning to an empty bed, everything from the night before rushed to the forefront of his mind. Will sat on the bed, surprised that no panic coursed through his veins. No thoughts of running away lingered. His nose was picked up the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Will stepped out of the bedroom and fallowed the smell. The sight before him reminded him of something domestic. He could have laughed. But he remembered the first time he had met Hannibal, how the doctor had arrived in his hotel room with breakfast ready for him. Simpler times where all Will thought he was chasing was the Shrike. Will sat himself on the empty seat beside Hannibal, and began to eat his breakfast.

 

_Give me the burden, give me the blame  
How many, how many Hail Mary’s is it gonna take?_

 

Will dressed for the day, new clothing that was just the right size. No plaid, no loose clothes. Just form fitting pants and a button up shirt. Hannibal dressed just as prim as always, except he didn’t wear a suit. As Hannibal called out for Will at the door, the younger man stared after him.

 

“I thought we could go visit a friend,” Hannibal explained, wrapping a scarf around his neck.

 

Will agreed and followed after him, they both made their way to a car, and sat. Will looked out of the window when Hannibal started the car. He looked at the trees, the cloud covered sky, and his mind was at ease. The only thing on his mind where his dogs. He loved his dogs, he was going to miss them. They were his constant companions through everything and understood him when no one else could. Will’s train of thought stopped when a hand rested on his arm. Will turned to stare at Hannibal, concern on his face, but when their gaze met, everything out disappeared.

 

Hannibal parked the car, a bit away from a familiar building. Will remembered the times he came to talk, while Hannibal had been incarcerated. Both men walked down the sidewalk like regular pedestrians. No one turned around, no one stared. They continued to walk and Will understood immediately. A smirk working his way to his lips as he stood in front of a door. Hannibal vanished into the shadows like the predator he was as Will raised his hand to the door.

 

_Don’t care if he's guilty, don’t care if he's not  
He's good and he's bad and he's all that I've got_

 

Bedelia cried. Her mind blurred and numb from drugs. Her gaze remained focused on to the dining table she sat in front of. She couldn’t feel her body, nothing felt real. Bedelia didn’t know what was happening. Her mind remembered a bit, and tears continued to fall as she clenched her fingers onto the dress she wore. She remembered opening the door, she remembered seeing both of them together. She remembered as he took a knife to her with nothing more than a blank stare. For it was she that told him, extreme acts of cruelty require a high level of empathy. She cried but smiled, because everything led to her being on that very chair, with her body and mind numb. She smiled because finally those two, they were going to tear the world apart. They were going to end everyone.

 

_Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I'm begging you please_

 

Will sat on the table as Hannibal began to cut the meat to their main course. He smiled at Bedelia who sniffled and wiped her tears with a napkin set out for her. She sat at the head of the table, for she was the special guest.

 

Hannibal served Will first, than himself and finally Bedelia. She grabbed a fork and swallowed as she saw her predators staring at her intently. She didn’t know the name of the dish, she could care less, and the meat was all too familiar. She was intimate with the meat on her plate. The tears spilled from her eyes as she took the first bite.

 

Will savored the taste of the meat as it landed on his tongue. He reveled in its juices and tenderness along with the spices mixed into it. He looked at Hannibal as they shared a look that had not been shared in the longest. Their eyes spoke the words that didn’t need to be said. Will cut another piece and ate it. The wine was exquisite with their dinner.

 

“Bedelia, we haven’t spoken in quite some time. Last I heard you weren’t speaking to kindly to dear William. Now I am not a man to repeat what has been said, but it has been far too long since we’ve had dinner together,” Hannibal started inhaling the smell of the wine before taking a short sip.

 

Will smiled at Hannibal and turned to Bedelia who forced herself to swallow her food, she looked, blurry eyes back up to Hannibal, her gaze unfocused.

 

“It has been too long, Hannibal….”

 

_Don’t take that sinner from me_

 

Will settled himself on their bed. In their home. He looked up at the ceiling, unable to see stars but knew that they were right outside of his window. He settled himself close to a warm strong body that held him close. His head rested on his chest, not for the first time, and not for the last. He heard the steady heartbeat, and felt the rise and fall of every breath.

 

Their naked bodies beside the other.Their minds connected, their mind palace a beautiful place where only the both of them could dwell….

 

_Oh don’t take that sinner from me_

**Author's Note:**

> I love that Mads and Hugh took it one step further, they saw the potential of Will and Hannibal's relationship. They were those characters and no one knew better than them. They are the reason the ending was the way it was, they knew that Will and Hannibal shared a more profound bond. They love each other. They do, and they showed everyone that they do.


End file.
